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The best tasting clam in Oregon

The razor clam that inhabits the Oregon beaches is known as Siliqua Patula, it is a very large and delicious clam that can be dug out of the sand during a low tide. This clam is found from all the way north in Alaska down to the middle of California and prefers to live in the beaches with large deposits of sand. If you wake up early in the morning in Seaside on a low tide you will be amazed at how many people are out digging up one of the most delicious dinners the coast has to offer. People can find them during the lowest tides of each cycle when the surf is relatively calm and the clam “shows” meaning that you can see either a small hole, a dimple in the sand, or a disturbance in the receding water from each wave that washes to shore. The razor clam is best when prepared simply with just a light batter and fried, but also can be used in clam chowder, clam fritters, seafood stews and other dishes.

Razor clams are known for moving quickly in the very soft sand with their large digger foot and so once you begin to disturb the area move quickly until you have reached it and pulled it out of the hole. always check your local regulations for the proper season to be able to go clamming and make sure that you know the limit that can be harvested. Steep fines are associated with clam diggers that over harvest or take during out of season. Always have a separate bag for holding the clams for every digger in your party as it is a big no no to put all your clams in one bag or to dig for someone else.

When to go clam Digging?

The most popular times to pursue these bivalves is during a low tide. Review the tide tables and look for times that the tide is going to be a low minus tide and preferably the lower minus tides of the month. Clam diggers should plan to get to the beach an hour and half before the low tide to start looking for the signs of clams. Sometimes it can take only a matter of minutes to dig a limit of these tasty morsels while other days it may take up to an hour or more if the surf is rougher and the clams are deeper and not showing as easily.

What do you need to find clams?

There are two primary tools for digging razor clams. The clam shovel and the clam gun. Of course you can always just use your hands, but you will likely quickly be reminded why these creatures have the word razor in their name. The sharp and thin shells can cut your fingers deep very easily. Due to the soft nature of the shells it is very important to be careful while digging with a shovel as it is very easy to crack or cut them in half, while the bits and pieces are still very edible, they will no longer retain the same impressive look on the plate that a full clam has, so be careful with whatever tool you choose.

The Clam Shovel, is a short handed shovel to mid torso length at the longest and has a very flat blade that is about 9 – 11 inches in depth. It is important when digging with a shovel to position the blade about 4 inches away from the clam show, between the hole and the ocean. Go straight down and barely lift back with the handle and pull the sand straight up. This will remove the dirt without breaking the shovel, for a clam that is deeper you may need to repeat the process a couple of times. These clams move quickly in the wet sand so be ready to reach down and grab them before they disappear into the liquefied sand of the surf.

The clam gun is designed to quickly reach the clam and pull it out in one full motion. the gun will be a circular tube with handles and a vent hole. Simple place the gun over the show, drive it all the way down, put your finger over the air vent and pull up. Make sure to lift with your legs and not your back otherwise you can quickly wear yourself out and even cause an injury to yourself. The wet sand grips the gun tightly and can require some serious pulling on to get moving. Repeat if necessary to reach the shellfish.

Here is how to do it

Getting it done with the shovel. Use the butt end to pound the sand and find the shows and then dig up your prize.

The clam gun makes it quick and easy for anyone to dig a clam in the sand.

Cleaning the Clams

There is lots of ways to clean a razor clam. Some people like to slightly boil them and then quickly place them in ice water to stop the cooking process. This can make the shell removal easier, but risks cooking the meat. I prefer to remove the shells with a oyster knife and then continue to process them, removing the nasty parts of the gut and intestine and cleaning the siphons so that the meat is ready to be panko crusted and fried or chopped up into the best chowder meat ever.

Walking the Oregon coast on a sunny day made the shells of razor clams glisten in the soft wet sand from the receding surf.

These are the ones that didn’t end up on our dinner plate, yet surely were enjoyed by a creature along the shore of the Pacific ocean.

Find out more about clamming for Razor clams with this basic guide. The North Oregon Coast and sandy beaches of Washington are home to large populations of the delicious slender Razor clams. Found in the surf on low tides, these are a popular local delicacy that can bring out hundreds of people onto the beach late into the night during winter with lanterns and clam shovels searching the retreating waves for the tell tale show of a razor clam hole.

Have you ever been to Garibaldi on the Oregon Coast? Lucy Chien, who grew up in Oregon, but now lives in San Francisco, recently won Smithsonian magazine’s annual photo contest in the “Natural World” category. She and her husband were clamming on the beach at Garibaldi on the Oregon Coast when she was inspired to place one of the clams on a rock in hopes of getting a good picture. The clam opened its shell and began to push itself off the rock. That’s when Lucy got the prize winning shot.

Garibaldi is tiny port on the shore or Tillamook Bay. Five types of clams can be found here: butter, cockle, gaper, softshell, and razor. People over 14 years of age need to buy a license, which currently costs only $7.00. That’s for an entire year of clamming and crabbing! Clamming is not the only activity on its quiet beaches. You can also fish from the shore, go crabbing, or charter a fishing boat and go deep sea fishing for halibut, tuna, or salmon. There is also terrific salmon and steelhead fishing in the streams that empty into the Bay. Almost anything you want for clamming, crabbing, or fishing can be rented in Garibaldi.

Clams dug from the flats on a low tide adjacent to the Garibaldi Pier and historic Coast Guard station.

There are four motels in Garibaldi. Garibaldi House, a 50 room motel, has been the recipient of Tripadvisor® Certificate of Excellence Award in both 2010 and 2011! It has the friendly feeling of a good bed and breakfast. This is a great place to make the center of your vacation.

The ocean activities are not the only recreation available in Garibaldi. There are some wonderful spots for bird watching. Migratory birds stop on their way going north and south. However there are many species of birds that make their home year-a-round in this area. Some of these are bald eagles, gulls, falcons, and blue and green heron.

One of the surprising things that you will find in Garibaldi is the Garibaldi Museum. The Garibaldi Museum attempts to conserve the maritime heritage of the Pacific Northwest. It especially focuses on Captain Robert Gray and his historical vessels, the Lady Washington and the Columbia Rediviva. The museum contains models of the two ships, as well as, reproductions clothing and musical instruments used by seamen.

Only ten miles to the south of Garibaldi you will find Tillamook with the famous Tillamook Cheese Factory and the Tillamook Air Museum. A short distance to the north you will find the charming town of Cannon Beach, with Haystack Rock that dominating its beach.

There are so many activities located in and near Garibaldi that you cannot take them all in during a single trip.Article written by Mary Boyer

The Parkside Coffee House located in the middle of Garibaldi, on the left if you are going North through town, makes great coffee and even better roasted turkey sandwich lunches.

We made it here in the early afternoon for lunch, but if you are out and about in Garibaldi in the morning the coffee smelled excellent and there was many really delicious looking breakfast items in the display. The place is rather small and when we arrived there was 4 other trucks in the parking lot as it seemed like many of the locals and guys working nearby stopped by for lunch, but we were able to get a table next to the window looking out to the antique shops across the street. First thing I noticed was that they roast there own turkey, which is just great cause when it came out the Turkey sandwich had thick slices of fresh moist turkey instead of the typical deli style turkey. There were a few other sandwiches available such as an albacore which coincidentally was also the special of the day which was a 1/2 sandwich and a cup of clam chowder. We both settled on getting turkey sandwiches since it seemed like that was there specialty, I had a Turkey with cranbery and cheese mix spread which came with lettuce and tomatoes. My wife ordered the Turkey with bacon, avocado, tomatoes, and lettuce. I also ordered a cup of clam chowder, which was well made unlike some places along the coast, this was a good tasting chowder.

The Parkside Coffee House has a warm feeling inside and the decor is simple yet very fitting for the location and home cooked style lunches that they prepare. The meals come with real heavy silverware, not cheap stuff so common at most restaurants, which is a small thing, but makes this a special place that we look forward to going back to.

The meal was very affordable and we walked away happy and full and ready for exploring the coast.

The Oregon beaches and bays along the Pacific coast from North to South offer excellent opportunities for digging clams. Clamming is a fun activity that the whole family can participate in and be successful. The tools of the trade are pretty simple and you can find a whole clam dinner with even just a garden shovel or your hands if necessary.

What Do You Need:

A clam shovel or rake. Longer shovel blades are good but a basic shovel will do. Rakes that have long tines and are not spread to far apart.

If going for Razor clams many people like to use a clam gun which is a cylindrical tube that you press into the sand around where they are laying in the sand.

A collection device, tackle shops sell nice mesh bags, really anything will do, a 5 gallon bucket is what I tend to carry most of the time, especially if going for a short walk.

Boots or waders are ideal especially if you are clamming around the bays or shallow tide pool like areas where there is lower depressions that are full of water.

A tide table or go here to this website and enter your closest location, then the dates that you want to see the tide. Oregon Tide Tables

When the tide is close to 0 on the low tide or below is the best times to walk the bays and likely beaches for clams. For most of the clams you can start digging and raking near the water and if there is clams in the area you will start to stumble on them.

After you get your catch, I was raised to let them sit in water with a little oatmeal and a bunch of the sand will get spit back out by the clam after a several hour soak, there may be other methods to clean them out a little before you cook them. Make a chowder, fritter, or any other delicious clam dinner and enjoy your hard work out digging in the sand. They also can be great just tossed in boiling water for a few minutes till they pop open and then dipped in butter and garlic or any other tasty sauce and eaten just like that.

If you are interested in going clamming anywhere along the Oregon coast I suggest you check out this website with a long list of clamming stories and discussions about areas to go and try depending on the species of clam you like.

The Jetty Fishery Marina is an RV Park with boat launch facilities right near the mouth of the Nehalem Bay into the Pacific Ocean. An excellent place to rent a boat and crab pots and go crabbing during the crabbing season. If you do not want to venture out into the bay to crab for yourself you can buy fresh crab right at the Marina and have them boil, clean, and pack it so you can enjoy a crab dinner at home without pulling a single crab pot. Regardless if you do the crabbing or just purchase from the tanks the crab you will get at the Jetty Fishery are full of meat and delicious, make a crab louie salad, fry up crab cakes, or just get a cracker and crab picker and your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy. There were also oysters available for purchase when we visited the Jetty Fishery Marina last. If the weather is cooperating then you can stay outside by the outdoor fire pit area with large handmade wooden chairs to sit at around the fire to stay warm if it is cool. The store at the Marina has all of the basics for a day out on the water and a soda and candy if you need something little. They will get you all set to have fun on the water and tell you areas to be watch out and be careful around. If you are looking for a fun place to stop and see some wildlife for younger ones to see then the Jetty Fishery Marina is perfect since there is often many seals that live in the bay and ocean hanging out on the beaches nearby. Of course there will always be the seagulls flying in the wind to keep them busy, but with the location of the marina near the mouth of the pacific ocean there is often interesting wildlife to observer.

There are rental cabins and a new luxury bed and breakfast so check out the website at http://www.jettyfishery.com/ to find out more information about the Jett Fishery Marina and RV Park and for contact information to call ahead about making a trip.

Stop at the yellow boats by the water north of Rockaway Beach near the Nehalem Jetty.

If you are going through the town of Garibaldi on a nice day and want to stretch your legs walking the long Piers End pier is a great way to enjoy some fresh air and get a unique view of the Tillamook Bay. Located right across the street from the Historical Coast Guard Headquarters on Garibaldi which was constructed in 1911 and is listed on the National Register of historical locations in the US.

The pier while having a large building at the end that used to be the former Coast Guard Rescue station which is now closer to the Marina areas is currently closed. It used to be open a long time ago with a small shop however there is no going past the gated fence as it is locked.

The pier is equipped for a place to spend an afternoon crabbing for Dungeness Crab with several turn out locations that are designed for setting up with a couple of chairs to hang out while soaking a few crab pots. Crabbing tends to be good during the fall and into the winter. You will have to bring your own bait from home or buy at the local stores before you arrive to the pier. There is a handful of turn out locations and depending on the water level any of them can be good to try and crab from. The Port of Garibaldi has recently set up some new rules for crabbing at Piers End which include the pier only open from dawn to dusk, no cutting bait on the pier, no crabbing from the fence only from the turn out locations, and no leaving a pot unattended, so you can not place a crab trap and come back in a few hours to pull in your catch.

During a low tide there is also clams available in the sandy areas below the stairs down to the water.

Location of Garibaldi Piers End – Take 12th st from the 101 and then make a left on Bay Lane. There is some parking area near the entrance for the pier. There is plenty of parking available.